The late Marion Crawley was the first Executive Director,
followed by Virgil Sweet, Bob King, and George Griffith.
Current Executive Director Steve Witty assumed the position in
the summer of 2003.
The IBCA is the voice of the Indiana Basketball Coaches.
Its' board and 14 district representatives meet during the year
to formulate and communicate ideas and recommendations to the IHSAA concerning Indiana high school basketball.
The IBCA has gone through two major changes
through all the years. With the inclusion of Girls' basketball
coaches, the membership has grown to over three thousand
members. The IBCA is one the largest High School
Basketball Coaches Associations in America. The second
major change came in 1996 when the IHSAA voted to go to a class
tournament beginning in 1997. This presented a tremendous
challenge to the IBCA, as the hallowed history of Indiana
Basketball was changed. In 2001 the IBCA went "online" for
the first time. We are proud to say that the IBCA
still remains as strong as ever.
The IBCA yearly publishes a newsletter in the fall and in the
spring. A spring clinic is the Association's major event,
and is attended annually by 800 to 1,200 coaches from Indiana
and from around the country. The clinic features fourteen
speakers in two days, which includes four college speakers and
ten high school coaches (both boys & girls). This makes it
a very unique clinic. Converse has been the primary
sponsor of this clinic as well as a great sponsor of the IBCA.
Each year the IBCA provides approximately 20 girls and 20
boys college grants of $500 each. Through the years the
IBCA is proud to have provided over $300,000 in grants to
deserving student athletes.
The IBCA issues its' own boys basketball poll, featuring the
Top 20 teams in the state. The poll is made up of
twenty-two head coaches representing each district and class.
This group of coaches also select the IBCA Boys' All-State Team.
This team is made up of fifteen seniors. In addition,
there is an Underclassmen All-State Team, again of fifteen
players. This committee also selects a Junior All-Star
Team to compete and help prepare the Senior Indiana All-Stars
for the annual Indiana-Kentucky All-Star Series.
As we enter the twenty-first century, we find the IBCA
entering another era of change. In 2001 the IBCA went
online for the first time. The web site was upgraded in
2003 to improve and better meet the needs of the coaches and
players in our state. Gene Milner will be the website
coordinator beginning in the Fall of 2004.
The IBCA also provides a Job
Placement Service for the members. This has been a part of the
IBCA since inception. In 1985, Executive Director, Virgil Sweet
recruited Gene Milner to become Job Placement Director and he
has continued that job under the following Executive Directors:
Virgil Sweet, Bob King, George Griffith, and current Executive
Director Steve Witty. The Indiana High School Basketball
Record Book (Boys) project was also taken over per Coach Sweet's
request. This publication comes out each Spring and has been
done in association with the IBCA since 1983.
In April and July of 2003 the IBCA, in conjunction with the
IHSAA, conducted Boys and Girls Underclassmen Showcases.
These events are designed to showcase and provide collegiate
exposure for the best underclassmen talent that the State of
Indiana has to offer. All high school coaches have the
opportunity to recommend their players and the best players that
they have observed. These recommendations are then submitted to
a committee of IBCA District Representatives who tabulate the
results.
The IBCA is very proud of the history and growth of our
organization and the heritage of our great game of basketball in
Indiana. We invite you to continue exploring our web site
to learn more about the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.
